Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Citroen DS4 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 52 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Citroen DS4 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Drive shaft joints and boots (front).

Summary

The 2012 Citroen DS4 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,961 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
52 in every 100
Did not pass first time
48 in every 100939 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 104,134 miles
First tests counted
1,961

What failed most often

  1. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)15 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Number plate lights14 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Suspension arm ball joint (front)14 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2012 Citroen DS4 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the electronic parking brake: 28 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 939 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Electronic parking brake

Failed on 31 first tests28 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An electronic parking brake is applied electronically but must still be maintained in operation by direct mechanical means. It may apply automatically in certain conditions, such as when the ignition is switched off or when the driver's door is opened. A control that is missing, defective or inoperative is Major, and so is a malfunction warning.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 56 first tests4.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

ABS is failed as removed only where it has obviously been removed, because not every vehicle in the age range where removal is not permitted has ABS. A warning lamp that does not light or shows an ABS fault is Major, as is a missing or excessively damaged wheel speed sensor. Every failure row for this component is Major.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 32 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An ESC warning lamp is failed only when the tester is certain it indicates an ESC malfunction, because the lamp takes various forms and the owner's handbook may need checking. The system is also called ESP, VDC or DSC, among many other names. Every failure row is Major, covering the lamp, wheel speed sensors, wiring, other components and the switch.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

One fault: other suspension component ball joint (front), 5.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Other suspension component ball joint (front)

Failed on 20 first tests5.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Under DVSA's general suspension wording, a ball joint that is excessively worn is Major. One likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: number plate lights (rear), 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Number plate lights (rear)

Failed on 132 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Registration plate lamps must light up the rear registration plate and operate at the same time as the position lamps. A missing or inoperative lamp is Major when the plate has only one lamp or all its lamps are not working, and Minor when the plate has several lamps or light sources and not all have failed. A lamp throwing direct white light to the rear is also Minor.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 141 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008), 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008)

Failed on 30 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Noted on 54 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
52in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
8in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
40in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 52.1% of 1,961 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 59.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 40 not fixed make the 48 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020112012201320142015Older carsNewer cars
40608010020112012201320142015Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201149 in every 100904
2012 This car52 in every 1001,961
201353 in every 1003,203
201457 in every 1002,023
201558 in every 100988

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2012 Citroen DS4 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Drive shaft joints and boots (front), about 15 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 52.1% of 1,961 first MOTs on the 2012 Citroen DS4 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 59.7%. Among 939 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Electronic parking brake appears more often than on similar cars (3.3% of those tests; 31 observed failures; about 28× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2012 Citroen DS4 at the first attempt were Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (15.0%), Number plate lights (14.1%) and Suspension arm ball joint (front) (13.6%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Electronic parking brake (3.3% of those tests; 31 observed failures; about 28× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Electronic parking brake shows up more often than on similar cars (3.3% of those tests; 31 observed failures; about 28× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2012 Citroen DS4 include Electronic parking brake, Other suspension component ball joint (front), Anti-lock braking system (ABS). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2012 Citroen DS4 (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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